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The continuation of the crisis of the Umrah stop .. Tourism companies gathered expectations for holding an extraordinary general assembly to postpone the implementation of Umrah this year .. "Basil al-Sisi": 30% repeat the performance of Umrah and impose 2000 riyals will hurt the Egyptian economy

The crisis of the Umrah stop is still ongoing, against the backdrop of the objection of a number of owners of tourism companies to the fees imposed by the Saudi authorities, estimated at 2000 riyals for every Umrah performing Umrah for the second time, a number of owners of tourism companies to call for the collection of signatures of members of the Assembly to hold the Assembly Held an extraordinary general meeting to discuss the postponement of Umrah flights this year .

Bassel al-Sisi, a member of the General Assembly of the Chamber of Tourism Companies, said in a special statement to "Seventh Day" that the decision to postpone the Umrah flights this year is in the interest of the citizen, the company and the state, adding that the fees imposed by Saudi Arabia, Will worsen the current status of companies, impose new burdens on citizens and drain the Egyptian economy .

He added that the companies engaged in religious tourism hold intensive meetings to gather expectations to convene an extraordinary general assembly to discuss the current crisis. He pointed out that the decision to impose fees will harm the Egyptian economy, pointing out that the frequency of visit to perform Umrah exceeds 30% In the double cost, where the citizen to pay 2000 riyals, equivalent to 7500 pounds Visa fees in foreign currency other than the cost of the trip program .

Al-Sisi expected the number of pilgrims to fall by at least 50 percent of the total number of pilgrims in the year of Umrah. The new fees imposed by the kingdom are contrary to the plan announced in the targeting of 10 million pilgrims during the years "Pointing out that it will not be able to achieve this target under the application of new fees, which will affect the Saudi economy, where the number of pilgrims will decline significantly this year.

He pointed out that the decision to boycott participation in the Umrah exhibitions will have a strong resonance to the increase in visa fees, which shattered the dreams of many simple people from the homeland to visit the house of God .

For his part, Sharif Said, head of the religious tourism committee in the Chamber of Tourism companies, said that the Ministry of Tourism was addressed to send letters to the Saudi side to clarify the mechanisms of implementation of the decision, noting that the Chamber is waiting for the response of the Saudi side .

In case the visa is granted free of charge once a year, Sharif expects the number of pilgrims to decline by at least 60%. If visa application is applied free of charge once a season, Only 3% .

"The Chairman of the Committee on Religious Tourism," the boycott of Turkish companies for the exhibition Umrah, which is currently in Istanbul, and not to sign any contracts for Umrah with the Saudi side so far, pointing out that the decision carries a lot of burdens for companies, where the payment of a letter of guarantee to the agent of Saudi Arabia worth 200 thousand riyals The equivalent of 750 thousand pounds without providing any services, as well as the citizen will pay 2000 riyals without access to any services, which will lead to reluctance many to perform Umrah this year.

The meeting, which was held in the Chamber of Tourism companies, ended with the formation of several committees, including a committee to meet with the Saudi ambassador in Egypt and a travel committee to Riyadh to agree with the Egyptian ambassador to prepare an interview with officials in the Kingdom and a committee to travel to Jeddah to meet Saudi Hajj Minister. , Including the Council of Representatives and the sovereign and information agencies and the Ministry of Tourism. A high committee was formed to convene the committees to follow up the work of the committees and to come out with appropriate decisions for the current situation based on the final decision of the Saudi government .

Ambassador Ahmed Qattan, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Cairo, said that the Kingdom would not receive any money from any pilgrims or pilgrims visiting the Kingdom for the first time. "I know that in some companies Bagdaj arrived at 170,000 pounds, For many decades, Saudi Arabia was given free visas to Egypt .

"If you offer us a million Egyptian pounds in the new year to perform Umrah for the first time, you will not get Saudi Arabia or the Saudi embassy," Qattan said in televised remarks. In Cairo at any fee from him at all, and if the rich person tried to get a second visa if you have a material ability to pay, but for those unable to perform Umrah, why he makes a second time, if he does not have the financial capacity

The Saudi ambassador said that the Kingdom allocates 80,000 Hajj visas to Egypt each year. "We work on Hajj visas once every five years. This system has been in place for a long time and it is no harm to bear Hajj for five years, "